NBA analyst: Not landing star may be 'best thing that ever happened' to Sixers

NBA analyst: Not landing star may be 'best thing that ever happened' to Sixers

There’s no denying the level of disappointment for Philadelphia 76ers fans after their team failed to land LeBron James and then opted not to swing a deal for Kawhi Leonard.

The Sixers were unable to acquire the third superstar Brett Brown and company coveted, but there’s still plenty to be excited about ahead of the upcoming season. And interestingly, one NBA analyst actually believes Philly may be better off after seeing LeBron and Kawhi head elsewhere.

As Doug Gottlieb explained on FS1’s First Things First, there was a downside which would have come with landing either player for the Sixers, and it’s being largely overlooked.

“Could they have skipped some steps and added a LeBron James or added a Kawhi Leonard? Sure, but a Kawhi Leonard would have been possibly a short-term and you would have had to rid yourself of some other key, important ingredients. LeBron James would have forced them to play LeBron James’ way, not play the way they’ve started playing these last couple years. It might actually end up being the best thing that ever happened to them, even if they’re disappointed.” Gottlieb stated.

It’s certainly eye-opening, and he’s not wrong. The Sixers also may still have an opportunity to land Leonard next offseason in free agency if he opts out of his current deal.

There’s a lot to love about this current Sixers roster, and while it’s impossible to know exactly what the roster would look like had they swung a deal for Leonard, there’s no denying it would have involved losing multiple key pieces.

Philly remains a top team in the Eastern Conference ahead of the 2018-19 season, and there’s no reason to believe they’ve taken a step backward.